Brown Argonaut vs Fly Agaric

Argonauta hians compared with Amanita muscaria

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Brown Argonaut	Fly Agaric
Kingdom	Animalia (Animals)	Fungi (Fungi)
Phylum	Mollusca (Mollusks)	Basidiomycota (Club Fungi)
Class	Cephalopoda (Cephalopods)	Agaricomycetes (Mushrooms)
Order	Octopoda (Octopuses)	Agaricales (Gilled Mushrooms)
Family	Argonautidae	Agaricaceae (Agarics)
Genus	Argonauta	Amanita (Amanitas)
Species	Argonauta hians	Amanita muscaria

Conservation Status

Brown Argonaut

LC — Least Concern

Fly Agaric

LC — Least Concern

Trend: Stable →

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Brown Argonaut	Fly Agaric
Diet	—	Decomposer
Average Lifespan	—	1 years
Average Length	—	20 cm
Average Weight	—	100 g

Habitat & Geographic Range

Brown Argonaut

Habitat

Native to Asia and South America, inhabiting ecosystems characteristic of the region.

Range

Distributed across Chile and Taiwan.

Fly Agaric

Habitat

Typically found in forest floors, decomposing wood, and soil ecosystems.

Range

Widely distributed across Europe (4 countries), North America (United States), Oceania and the Pacific (New Zealand), and South America (Brazil, Chile, Colombia).

Brown Argonaut

The Brown Argonaut (Argonauta hians) is a species in the genus Argonauta. It is currently classified as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List. Native to Asia and South America, inhabiting ecosystems characteristic of the region.

Fly Agaric

Among the most iconic and recognizable fungi on Earth, fly agaric mushrooms display striking red caps with white flecked warts across boreal forests of the Northern Hemisphere. Despite their fairy-tale appearance, they contain potent psychoactive compounds including muscimol and ibotenic acid and are moderately toxic. They form critical mycorrhizal symbioses with birch, pine, and spruce trees, exchanging mineral nutrients for carbon and playing essential roles in boreal forest nutrient cycling.